The Sunshine Capital of America

Inyokern, California - 100 miles from nowhere. A remote place where the Mojave desert mountains create a valley that is home to a population of Mojave desert tortoise. A place where herpetologists have gravitated to every year for the last 31 years to study the now critically endangered species. A place with over 30 years of conservation to show for thanks to the organizers of the Desert Tortoise Council.  A place to understand the ecology and health of the species and to learn what research is necessary for the survival of the species. A place where eager biologists like myself can listen, learn and be inspired by each new teacher she encounters. A place where I can only hope of positive outcomes for the future of this species and only dream of the impact I can have, and it is from teachers and members of the DETO Council that encourage my conservation dreams. 

To share the basis of the course, we learned about the anatomy of tortoise, the major threats they face, how to manage tortoise in environmental consulting, health assessment processing of tortoise, and learning how to handle tortoise with care. We learned how to search for sign of tortoise via burrow and skat classifications and through those clues, we are able to determine tortoise presence based on recent activity. The highlight was definitely learning how to process a tortoise - there is a good bit of husbandry handling and practice that goes into conducting health assessments of an individual. We got to watch a tortoise doing, well, "tortoise stuff" as everyone would call it. Overall, it was a well thought out course that provided insight into tortoise ecology and the threats they face as an endangered species. 

I loved traveling out for this course, on my own accord for a good cause. Being present in Inyokern and taking the course was well worth the effort. The sun is always shining and the moon is always glowing. The land is open to roam and learn from and is free of any judgement, giving you plenty of room to explore your mind. There are so many lessons to cherish from this sunny place. The feeling of awe and interest of being a student and learning the importance of respecting this prehistoric species validated why I’m a biologist. Tortoise need respecting and protecting, and I feel inspired by leaders in the conservation space to take action with confidence. If they can do it, then I certainly can too. 

So cheers, to being inspired to take action -  as a reflection of passionate hope for endangered species. All my hope is encouraged by lessons learned from humble conservationists like the ones I met at the DETO council. Thank you for hosting a great event!